Etymograph

English

dialectic

Dialectic comes from Ancient Greek διαλεκτική ‘the art of argument through interactive…’, from διαλεκτικός ‘relating to dialogue’, and ultimately from διαλέγομαι.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιαλέγομαιdialégomai‘to participate in a dialogue’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιαλεκτικόςdialektikós‘relating to dialogue’next step skipped: Ancient Greek δῐᾰλεκτῐκός
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιαλεκτικήdialektikḗ‘the art of argument through interactive questioning and answering’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdialectica
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400dialectique
  6. Englishtodaydialectic

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιαλέγομαιdialégomai‘to participate in a dialogue’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιαλεκτικόςdialektikós‘relating to dialogue’next step skipped: Ancient Greek δῐᾰλεκτῐκός
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιαλεκτικήdialektikḗ‘the art of argument through interactive questioning and answering’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdialectica
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400dialectique
  6. Englishtodaydialectic

A compound of διά ‘through, across’ + λέγειν ‘to speak’

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ‘two’

Proto-Indo-European *dwís ‘twice, in two’

Ancient Greek διά ‘through, across’

Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to collect, gather’

Proto-Hellenic *légō ‘to gather’

Ancient Greek λέγω ‘to speak’

Every English word from Ancient Greek διαλέγομαι

Another origin of dialectic

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to collect, gather’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*légō‘to gather’reconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλέγω‘to say, to speak’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιαλέγομαι
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδῐᾰλεκτῐκόςdĭălektĭkós‘Skilled in dialectic’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdialecticus‘dialectical’
  7. Englishtodaydialectic

Today it means

noun Any formal system of reasoning that arrives at a truth by the exchange of logical arguments.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek διαλέγομαι / dialectic

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